After playing four of their five matches in Ahmedabad, South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj denied on Wednesday that his team will have an advantage when they meet the West Indies in the T20 World Cup.
Both teams are coming off five consecutive tournament victories going into Thursday’s pivotal Super Eights match, and the victor will advance to the semi-finals.
All but one of South Africa’s matches have taken place in Ahmedabad, including their Super Eights victory over India by 76 runs, which hushed an 80,000-strong crowd.
The vast Narendra Modi stadium is quite different from the Mumbai and Kolkata venues where the West Indies have been playing primarily.
“It’s nice to not travel. But from a pitch point of view, I think every game has been very different. The four matches that we’ve played here, conditions have played very differently throughout the game. So I don’t see it too much of an advantage. It’s just making sure that we adapt quicker rather than later compared to the opposition,” AFP quoted left-arm spinner Maharaj, who took 3/24 as co-hosts India were routed for 111 on Sunday, as saying.
Floyd Reifer, the batting coach for the West Indies, stated that his team could overcome whatever advantage South Africa could have if they adhered to their strategy.
“They have an advantage of playing most of their games at the same venue. But like I said, once we plan properly and execute our plans, then we will play a good game of cricket. So for us, we’re not worried too much about the venues and who played there, who didn’t play there. For us, no, it’s just coming now and understanding what’s needed to be done and execute,” Reifer told reporters.
